Sunday, 27 January 2008

Signalling that there will be no let up in military offensive against the LTTE, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has said the army was trying to liberate the main rebel strongholds of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu in the embattled north.

''We are trying to relieve the people of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu of terror under LTTE leader V Prabhakaran,'' he said.

''The government is making efforts to allow them to enjoy the freedoms and rights of human beings in a democratic state in the same manner the people of the Eastern Province were now enjoying,'' Rajapakse said at a university function in Kandy, about 80 kms northeast of Colombo, on Saturday.

The president vowed to break the backbone of terrorism, which, he said can not be allowed to prevail but added that political issues cannot be resolved through the gun.

The president said that an environment conducive for children has been created in eastern Sri Lanka after much effort and the same would be done for children of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu after it is liberated.

He sought the cooperation of the common people in this endeavour.

Steps have been taken to restore democratic rights of the people by the elected representatives in the Eastern Province, the president added.

Fighting has escalated between government troops and the LTTE since Colombo pulled out of the 2002 ceasefire this month, leaving hundreds of people dead.Source: NDTV

Colombo (PTI): At least 43 militants, two civilians and a solider were killed in fierce gunbattles between security forces and the LTTE in the embattled Northern Sri Lanka, the army said here on Sunday.

Three militants were gunned down in an encounter with troops at Kokkuthuduvai in North-Eastern Welioya on Sunday, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said.

Nine rebels were gunned down by security forces in three separate encounters at Kiribbanwewa in Welioya on Saturday while two others died in a confrontation at Parayanakulam in Vavuniya on the same day, the Defence Ministry said.

In another clash at Muhamalai in Jaffna, security forces lost a soldier, the MCNS said adding troops also killed three Tamil Tigers in an attack in the same area on Saturday evening.

Separately, two rebels were killed in skirmishes with troops in Kokkuthuduwai and Janakapura areas of Jaffna on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said.

Five rebels were shot dead at Vilathikulam in Vavuniya when troops intercepted the LTTE foot movement there on Saturday, the MCNS said.

One rebel was killed at Kallikulam in Vavuniya on Saturday, the Army said.

Earlier in the day, troops hit an LTTE mortar training base North of Palamoddai in Vavuniya with artillery fire.Source: Thehindu

The stated military strategy is not to pursue a land grab in the Wanni, as in the East, where the Army took over vast swathes of territory. In the Wanni and the North, the forces have to cope with a less friendly civilian population of around half-a-million people.

And, on top of that, the Tigers are well entrenched in their defences and have proved their conventional capabilities, which they have acquired over the years.

Despite the Military’s superior combat power, it is not easy to dislodge the cadres who have conventional capability including artillery and mortar power and have dug in and mined the area heavily.

The Army has opened up five fronts in the Wanni and the North to draw the Tigers into battle. The Military feels that the way to go about is to destroy the cadres and their strike capability, in an overall war of attrition.

(For its part, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) this week alone, took out two identified targets, including the LTTE’s “X-ray Base” east of Iranamadu Tank in the Kalmadukulama area on Wednesday (23) and its transport base located at Kilinochchi, on Friday (25). In the first air raid, SLAF fighter jets, in a low flying mission, had, with the pin point accuracy, targeted the base that LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was to visit, the SLAF claimed. But, there was no conformation based on ground intelligence, as to the Tiger leader being injured.

The insurgency has grown over several phases and what the Military is doing is to roll back these phases, which, of course, takes time.

Setting deadlines to win the war, is not very practical, on account on the LTTE’s use of conventional force, guerilla warfare and terrorism. We saw how the LTTE continued to make its presence felt in Thanamalwila in the Moneragala district, killing three policemen and injuring two soldiers this week.

The Military is shaping the battle and creating the conditions, until the right time and right place to go for the kill. The last experience at Muhamalai, ahead of the Budget vote, only goes to show that the Tigers expected the operation and dealt with it accordingly. As the soldiers captured the first bunker line and proceeded to get at the second, the LTTE rained artillery and turned the soldiers into sitting ducks. The same mistake was not repeated this time, as troops, this week, destroyed 24 LTTE bunkers and caused damage to the forward defence lines (FDL) at Muhamalai, Nagar Kovil and Kilali.

While mass scale bodies had to be restricted, a few such operations would be in order. Ahead of the country’s Diamond Jubilee of Independence, either side would like to make a dent in the enemy’s lines.

But, until such a large-scale thrust is undertaken; targets in the North and the Wanni were continually under attack by the security forces this week.

According to intercepted LTTE messages, 15 Tigers were killed and double the number injured during the confrontations in Jaffna FDLs. Lt Bopage of the Infantry Regiment and two soldiers were killed. Lt N.M. Rajapakse and another soldier were killed in action in Muhamalai on Thursday (24), while five LTTE cadres were killed during the confrontation.

In another incident, two leading LTTE cadres, including Kengan, who carried out attacks in government controlled areas, were killed.

Meanwhile, in Mannar, during a confrontation at Periyakulam, two soldiers were killed and six others injured, while 14 Tigers were killed in Pandivirichchan, Anandankulam, Marandamode, and Kallikulam areas. A total of 29 Tigers were killed in all these areas on Thursday (24). At Periyapanchakulam in Vavuniya, on Sunday (20), two LTTE regional leaders were gunned down, according to the Military. The security forces recovered six bodies, including those of Kugan and Manju. Troops from 59 Division, advancing from Weli Oya, killed another two dozen Tigers over the week.

Government military strategists believe that by killing Tigers in small numbers, the Army would be able to unsettle the LTTE, to strike hard later.

LTTE renegade commander Karuna Amman, who was sentenced to nine months in a British prison after being charged with having entered the country on false travel documents, has been allegedly tortured in the prison, The Nation learns.

Reports reaching Colombo said that Karuna was sent to a maximum security prison as a political prisoner and was to be housed with other Tamil inmates who had been charged with other crimes.

It is said that fellow Tamil inmates had either poured hot water on the former rebel leader or assaulted him with a weapon, compelling the authorities to provide him medical treatment.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Karuna Amman after serving his nine month sentence in a British prison would face charges for war crimes.

Human rights activists told The Nation that once the nine months are completed, it was unlikely that Karuna would actually be deported to Sri Lanka, because several international human rights organizations in the likes of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are campaigning for the prosecution of Karuna for committing serious human rights violations, including war crimes. “It is possibile that these organisations would pressure the British authorities to file a case against Karuna, whilst he is in prison.

UK prison If he is found guilty of the charges leveled against him, which includes killings, abductions, torture and child soldier recruitment, he could be locked up again, as soon as he is released, ,” the activists noted.

Meanwhile, Karuna’s legal representative, David Philips, told the BBC after the judgment that the LTTE renegade leader might apply for political asylum, after serving the prison sentence.

“He hasn’t applied for asylum because until the sentencing takes place for a criminal case, no immigration officer will ever entertain an application,” he said.

The forth Eelam war is becoming increasingly brutal and dirty. Sri Lanka is sliding back into violence that had been characteristic of the last two decades of its history. After the failure of a long drawn out effort to seek peace through negotiations, the country is back to the square one.It was only a week ago that the Tiger cadres massacred 47 civilians in the rural Uva and Deep Down South. A bus full of passengers was blown up in a claymore mine explosion and later the assassins shot dead the survivors at close range.

That is not the end of the story. Grisly scenes of death are becoming synonymous with the Sri Lankan life. More corpses turned up last week and strange enough some government officials wanted to suppress the news.On Thursday (24), two Muslims in Kirikotuwewa, Kebithigollawa, who went to the jungle to round up their cattle, were the first to see the gruesome sight. They saw a hand jutting out from a marshland. Later, People looked in horror as police unearthed 16 decomposed bodies from two pits. Victims had not been identified as of Saturday. No complaints of the mass disappearance of civilians had been received in Anuradhapura, according to the police. The bodies were buried 250 metres from the Horowpathana - Kebithigollewa Road, in the jungle. The government’s Media Centre for National Security blamed the Tigers for the killings.The MCNS said: “Police have found several bodies of youth dumped in a swamp at Kiriketuwewa on the Horoupathana - Kebithigollawa road by suspected LTTE terrorists this evening, January 24. Police said the victims are believed to be a group of civilians who had gone searching for their cattle. The victims were apparently hacked to death, the sources added,” the MCNS said.

An attempt to suppress the news

However, the flipside of the story is that the government tried to suppress the news of the discovery of two mass graves. The Director General of the Media Centre for National Security, Lakshman Hulugalla telephoned newspapers and told them not to publish the story. He said that the young men were killed by the LTTE and that the publication of the news could trigger an ethnic backlash. Hence, the request for the non publication of the story. Some newspapers, indeed, obliged while the others downplayed the story. That was a peculiar request to make at the first place, what is more astonishing is the rationale behind it.Only a week ago some 27 passengers were blown up in Buttala. But, the South didn’t erupt in an ethnic backlash. People in this country have acted with restrain in the face of the attempts to trigger communal backlash. This country has been through massacres, bombing and suicide killings perpetrated by the guerrillas, yet never did people go on rampage against fellow Tamils during the last twenty years. The Sri Lankan polity has reformed a lot since its ignominious experiment of the anti-Tamil pogrom in July 1983. However, the media wizards of the MCNS seemed to have thought otherwise. Later, the MCNS declared civilians, who went searching for their cattle, had been killed by the LTTE. However, the nature of the killings has raised more questions.The victims were killed in execution style. Some were blindfolded and their hands tied to behind. Of the victims, 15 were male and the other was a female.The developments in the immediate aftermath of the discovery indicated an attempt to downplay the incident. Culprits are at large and probably will never be brought to justice.The bitter but stubborn truth in the country’s increasingly dirty war is that lines of engagement have become increasingly blurred.However, the discovery of the two mass graves would like to add further strains on the government’s human rights record. This is not to suggest the culpability of the government’s security apparatus.It can be the LTTE, or anyone else who is behind the killings. However it is the obligation of the government to probe the killings and bring culprits to justice. Attempts to downplay the killings could only backfire. Meanwhile the autopsy of the victims was held in Anuradhapura yesterday.The nation is witnessing a spate of violence, which was largely controlled during the first three years of the truce agreement.Human rights and civil liberties are increasingly compromised - of course it is accepted that certain civil liberties could be curtailed under extraordinary circumstance, but it is also universally accepted that the right to life is an exception.This government’s dilemma in fighting one of the most ruthless extremist movements in the world is well understood. Perhaps, the ranking of this government by most rights groups may not do justice to the precarious situation the government had been forced in. However, it must be said that certain highhanded actions and the over reliance on its hard-line allies have contributed to the government’s dilemma.

Forces advance

These developments are taking place as the security forces supported by five offensive divisions are gradually pushing into the Wanni heartland of the LTTE.Two hours after dawn of Monday (21), Special Infantry troops of the 53 and 55 Divisions sneaked ahead of their forward defence localities in Muhamalai, Elithumattuwal and Nagar Kovil.Under the cover of darkness, troops advanced cautiously on a land plagued with booby-traps and anti personnel mines. Extra precautionary measures had been taken to avoid mine fields, which had been identified in the reconnaissance missions. During the last major offensive ahead of the Northern defence lines on the eve of the Budget, a soldier, while taking up the assault positions, stepped on a Bangalore torpedo, which alerted the guerrillas. This time around, when the troops assaulted the enemy positions, it took the LTTE cadres by total surprise. Guerrillas seemed to have miscalculated the security forces action, said a senior military official.The LTTE cadres who were manning the forward defence localities were of the impression that the attack was another remote assault. But it took only a matter of seconds for 27 heavily fortified bunkers of the LTTE to come under a heavy volume of fire by troops.A military official said the primary defence line of the LTTE is sparsely manned. That is a tactic put in place in response to the regular attacks on the guerrilla defence line by Special Infantry Operation troops.Twenty four bunkers were completely destroyed; this included four bunkers in Nagar Kovil, 12 bunkers on the East of A 9 Road and eight bunkers on the West of A9 Road.The Army said at least 15 LTTE cadres were killed and 30 wounded. Two soldiers were killed and nine wounded in fighting. This included four soldiers classified as P 1 injuries and five soldiers, classified P 2 injuries.As troops took over the bunkers, Tigers withdrew to their secondary defence line from where they fought back the advancing troops.Holding ground has not been the intention of the recent military operations in the Northern theatre. The two main objectives of these missions were: (a) gradual annihilation of the man power of the enemy (b) Keeping the enemy occupied with defensive actions.Thus, by five thirty in the morning, troops have returned to their original positions. They also recovered a 40 mm grenade launcher.Indeed, bitter battles are yet to flare up. What troops are engaged now is the softening up of tiger positions through regular limited offensives.According to the statistics given by the Defence Ministry, 636 LTTE cadres and 26 soldiers have been killed since the start of the new year. However, these figures could not be verified independently.What is, however, obvious is that the forth Eelam war is set to unfold with a greater ferocity in the coming months. Public should brace themselves for the inevitable.

The JVP has threatened to take to the streets against the establishment of the Interim Council and the implementation of the 13th Amendment as proposed by the All Party Representative Committee.JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake told LAKBIMAnEWS that the Government has no right to hand over the administration in the North and East to the “proxies of terrorists”. Ratnayake was referring to the Tamil National Alliance.He said that in the wake of continued military defeats, the LTTE has changed their plans and now plots to grab power by other means. He said that the JVP since 1987 opposed the 13th Amendment and its implementation.He said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was a leading figure in the SLFP who agitated against the signing of the Indo- Lanka pact. He said the JVP has no option but to scuttle any effort by the President to implement the 13 Amendment.

Defence Secretary Gota-bhaya Rajapakse yesterday denied allegations that he helped former Eastern Tiger Commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna to obtain a fraudulent diplomatic passport.The powerful Defence Secretary is embroiled in a controversy after British prosecutors said on Friday that he had assisted Karuna to obtain the passport.“I haven’t helped him (Karuna). It is wrong for the British Judiciary to make public these claims without verification,” he said.“I wish that the British legal system would have been much better and dispalyed some fair play,” he said. He told the LAKBIMAnEWS that neither he nor any agencies of the Sri Lankan government had been asked by their British counterpart about the authenticity of allegations levelled against him. “This is an infringement of my human rights,” quipped Rajapakse.On Friday, reading Karuna’s statement at the Isleworth Crown Court in West London, the prosecution said President’s Rajapaksa’s younger brother was known to him (Karuna) since he defected from the LTTE.Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, ‘arranged everything’ for him to come to UK using a diplomatic passport, Karuna has told British immigration authorities, according to the prosecutors. According to the statement, the passport was given to him only once inside the plane bound for UK.British prosecutors said Karuna pleaded guilty to a criminal offence under British immigration law, but said it was the Sri Lankan government that arranged a diplomatic passport for him. Karuna sat behind a protective screen inside the courtroom. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse however said he doubted whether Karuna himself made the confession.Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama earlier denied the involvement of the Sri Lankan Government in issuing a diplomatic passport to the renegade Eastern leader of the LTTE.However, The British High Commission has announced that the Visa had been granted based on a Third Party Note issued by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry.

The Government on Wednesday dropped another bombshell on the LTTE adding another burden on their task of establishing a separate Tamil state in the North East. That bombshell was much bigger than that of the seven bombs, each weighing thousand kilos, dropped on the Tiger leader Prabhakaran's hideout in Kalmadukulam in Iranamadu in the Kilinochchi district on Wednesday.

The proposals of the All Party Representatives Committee, handed over to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday evening, hours after the SLAF fighter jets bombed Tiger leader Prabhakaran's hideout, made a bigger impact on the LTTE than the shock waves created due to the bombing of the Tiger bunkers.

It created another front to surround and isolate the LTTE in Wanni jungles, in addition to they being surrounded by sea, air and ground by the Security Forces. The proposals submitted by the APRC created a political front for the LTTE to fight with in addition to facing the fronts created by the Security Forces to defeat them militarily.

The submission of political proposals to address the political issues relating to the North East conflict would justify the process undertaken by the Government to resolve the North East conflict. It brought the three decade long conflict to a decisive juncture as the Government was successful in addressing the issue in both fronts, militarily and politically.

It is now up to the other political parties in the South and also the Tamil political parties to decide on these proposals along with the President once the proposals are open for discussion with other political parties.

As observed by the President, on the occasion, he received APRC proposals from its Chairman Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana, a conducive environment has been created in the country for the smooth implementation of political proposals in the North and East.

Thanks to the brave men and woman in the three Forces and the Police and the guidance given by the Rajapaksa administration to secure military victories against the LTTE, firstly in the East and now in the North.

It is at a correct time the Government is coming out with political proposals to give greater autonomy to the ethnic groups living in the North. This was timely as it demonstrates the genuine interest of the Government to evolve a political solution to address the grievances of the Tamil community and also to dispel the suspicion of the international community.

So, the LTTE has failed in all of its endeavours to create many fronts for the Government to tackle. In return the Government and the Security Forces has given them many fronts to confront.

Therefore, the LTTE has not been left with any room to raise its head in Wanni and are compelled to hide their heads inside thickly laid bunkers after putting the lives of innocent Tamil civilian in danger.

Though it was not yet confirmed about the destiny of the Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the SLAF could pose another life threat on his life on Wednesday taking a pin point target on a bunker complex used as a meeting place of the LTTE leaders.

This is the second time the SLAF targeted the Tiger leader in hiding in Wanni jungles.

First it was in North of Kilinochchi on November 28 in which the Tiger leader was believed to have sustained injuries after 116 of his elite bodyguards were killed.

However, the LTTE denied the reports that Tiger leader was injured due to SLAF bombing. But the Tiger leader never turned up at a public meeting or even at the funeral of Charles, a close confidante of Tiger leader Prabhakaran after he was killed due to a claymore attack by the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrolling troops of the SLAF.

Once again, on Wednesday there had been unusual reaction from the LTTE to the SLAF bombing in Iranamadu as the LTTE communication went dead after the bombing and many shops were closed in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.

The Security Forces also believe the X ray base which was targeted by the SLAF on reliable intelligence reports was a base used as a hospital to treat wounded Tiger leaders. Therefore, it is believed that the Tiger leader would have visited this place to have treatment after sustaining injuries in the previous air raid.

Therefore, it is believed that the LTTE leader would have faced a serious situation in the Wanni after this incident. But the LTTE leadership which is in quandary, over the incidents unfolding in the North and also due to the deprivation of ground level leadership to give leadership to the ground cadres manning FDLS in Vavuniya and Mannar, definitely will not divulge any such incident, since it would lead to a situation for the Tiger cadres to surrender to the Security Forces leaving aside their task of defending the bunker.

However, the situation has worsened for the Tiger leadership in the battle fronts in Vavuniya and Mannar due to the loss of their middle level leadership especially in the self styled ranks of 'Lt. Colonels' and 'Major' in the recent battle fronts. According to statistics available with the Security Forces in Vavuniya and Mannar more than 2,600 cadres have been killed in the Vavuniya and Mannar fronts since March, 2007.

That was after the formation 57 offensives Division in February 2007 and the 58 Division in September 2007. The number of cadres killed in the Vavuniya front in Vilathikulam, Thampanai, Palampiddi exceeded the 2000 target by this week.

The number of Tiger cadres killed in the Mannar front under 58 Division is around 750. That is within three to four months in operation.

With these developments the Security Forces in the Vavuniya front is poised to mark a bigger achievement possibly within next few days by securing Madhu shrine area as they have reached closer to Madhu church area by yesterday.

According to sources the LTTE had left the road block in Madhu on Friday and withdraw further towards North of Vavuniya. The securing of Madhu will mark major milestone in the Wanni battles after the capture of Silavaturai in a surprise operation since it was the only place people in the South are well aware of.

The achievements of the troops in Wanni battle front were not very much highlighted as the area was not familiar to the common masses in the South like the important milestones in the Eastern victories such as Sampur, Vakarai and Thoppigala.

Though ground troops can march towards the North very easily, the strategy of the Army is to move as a wider front rather than securing temporary victories after capturing small towns by moving there in narrow fronts like in the Jayasikuru operation which was conducted to take full control of Jaffna - Kandy A-9 road, leaving room for the LTTE to attack the troops from its rear.

Troops have observed that the LTTE had deployed untrained cadres to man many of the bunkers in the front line leaving them in danger without any concern about their welfare. These signs indicate that the LTTE is now withdrawing from their defences in the front, to Northwards.

This situation, the Security Forces believe is to regroup themselves and launch a massive assault in one direction, to make a bigger impact on the advancing troops in a single operation.

The 58 Division under the command of Brigadier Shavindra Silva is also making headway towards Adampan to fully secure the area and thereby to take full control of Vedithalthivu which is one of the tactically important locations of the LTTE in their logistic movements after the fall of Silavaturai in the South of Mannar.

The 58 Division has also speeded up their operations amidst stiff resistance by the Tiger cadres to take full control of the area.

Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka on Friday visited Mannar to observe the security situation in Mannar and to brief them about the future course of action. According to military sources this was the first time an Army Commander had visited Mannar area for the during the past ten years.

Meanwhile, the 59 Division which came into operation two weeks back has also started operations in Weli Oya removing Tiger threats in the Weli Oya sector. Within two weeks of operation the troops have been able to kill more than 20 Tiger cadres.

They are operating 10 Kilo metres wider front from Kokkuthuduvai and heading towards the North capturing vital Tiger locations in the Weli Oya sector.

Adding to this situation the LTTE is also losing its military assets due to the continued air raids by the SLAF. The fighter jets of the SLAF on Friday morning too conducted a successful raid on another LTTE hideout identified as "LTTE Transport Base", located two Kilo metres southwest of Depot Junction, Selvanagar, Kilinochchi.

The LTTE Sea Tiger headquarters in Puthukuduiruppu, Kevilkulam also came under air raid yesterday around 1.05 p.m.

Therefore, it has become extremely difficult for the LTTE to even operate inside the Wanni.

As the thrust on the LTTE continue like this the possibilities are very high for the LTTE to engage in sabotage activities in the South to draw more and more troops to the South to hamper military operations in the North and East.

They may continue with their atrocities targeting innocent civilians at this decisive juncture while making efforts to hamper the security situation in Colombo as the nation was preparing to celebrate the 60th Independence Day celebrations in a grand scale.

Intelligence reports also indicate that a more Tiger cadres have been moved to the East and the South to engage in such sabotage activities.

Special attention will have to be focused on Ampara district especially to the areas bordering Southern province and eastern province especially in Panama area where Sinhalese people are living in isolation.

The security in the Eastern province will also be vital at a time when the Government is making its best effort to make the Local polls in the East a reality providing it with adequate security for political parties to engage in election campaigns freely in Batticaloa.

So, the environment is very much clear to bring permanent peace to the country as Government is successful in its operation in all fronts in its endeavour of achieving this goal.

The Congress Legislative Member of the Tamil Nadu State Assembly L. A. Gnanasekaran has called upon the Tamil Nadu Government to expedite the process of arresting the LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran who is a prime suspect in the assassination of former Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi.

Gnanasekaran addressing the Tamil Nadu State Assembly meeting on Wednesday highlighted the dangers due to the LTTE infiltration in the State. "The Congress party is for a durable political solution for the Lankan crisis. However, the LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran,the prime suspect in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi cannot be pardoned and he should be produced before the Courts.

All efforts to arrest Prabhakaran must be expedited without any hesitation," Gnanasekaran said.

Warning the State Government on the grave dangers due to the LTTE infiltration and its gun running activities the MLA pointed out that 102 LTTE cadres have infiltrated into Tamil Nadu in the past two years and forty of them have been apprehended by the police.

"The American intelligence agency FBI issued an early warning to India on the attempt on Rajiv Gandhi's life.

The FBI also warned Pakistan on the dangers faced by Benazir Bhutto.

But neither India nor Pakistan took seriously the FBI warning. Several political parties remain unfaithful to India by supporting the LTTE. They openly say that they support the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka but whereas they are behind the covert activities of the LTTE in Tamil Nadu," the MLA said.

Peter Alponse, another Congress MLA of the State Assembly speaking on India supporting Sri Lanka militarily said that as a key member in the SAARC India has every right to assist Sri Lanka militarily.

Hence this assistance should not be interpreted as India aiding the country to go for war. Meanwhile, the State of Tamil Nadu was put under a stiff security blanket to prevent any untoward incident on the Indian Republic day yesterday.

The Tamil Nadu police has also been warned by the Indian intelligence agencies that the LTTE cadres who suffered injuries in the ongoing military offensive in Mannar and other areas in the North and East would be shipped to Tamil Nadu.